Acting Prime Minister Richard Sealy has praised the Barbados Productivity Council (BPC) for its thrust with the youth.
He said one could not wait until the youth entered the workforce and then introduce them to the concept of productivity.
“We have to convince our young people that productivity is a concept they must embrace in every aspect of their life. They must become fully attuned with what it is all about, and if we look at recent trends and developments among our young people, we definitely have to take note.
“I must say, a lot of this has been related to the social media and against that backdrop, I’m very encouraged to hear that Productivity is well ahead of the curve in that regard, having a presence on major social media outlets such as Instagram and Facebook,” he said. He added that the BPC was on the right path with spreading the messages, and he wanted to see a deepening of the productivity mantra to every school-aged child.
Sealy said schools and tertiary institutions should be encouraged to establish to form their own team of productivity champions, who could in turn spread the message to their peers.
Delivering the feature address at the opening of the Week Of Excellence at the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle of the Central Bank, he explained there were several spinoffs to improved productivity, including increased profit margins, cost reduction, enhanced competitive advantage in the market and higher quality products for customers.
He noted that the week’s theme, Productivity The Heart Of Our Future, captured the very essence of what was one of Barbados’ “most critical” national issues which not only affected workplaces, but industries and wider society.
“It is furthermore timely and relevant, given the various social and economic challenges that are having an impact on our beloved island nation. Many of these challenges, of course, have been recently articulated by the Central Bank Governor (Cleviston Haynes), as recently as this (morning) actually, and include the anaemic rate of growth, of course real GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The widening gap as far as the fiscal deficit and the declining foreign reserve levels, though significant, I can assure you that the Government is committed to working with the social partners to put in place a series of measures to improve the economy,” Sealy stated.
He said Government was also pursuing new policies with a view to sourcing new overseas markets for local products, attracting foreign direct investment, facilitating the expansion and upgrading of the present hotel room stock, increasing tourist arrivals and their spend, improving the ease of doing business in Barbados, and transforming the education sector into one that was demand-driven. (YB)
